Return of the Last McKenna (Harlequin Romance)

by Jump, Shirley

  It all sounded plausible, but still, something about the story Brody told gave Kate pause. She couldn’t put her finger on it. Why come here? To this shop? There were a hundred bakeries in the area, several dedicated to weddings. Why her shop?

  She decided to stop looking a gift horse in the mouth. She needed the income, and she’d be crazy to turn down the opportunity to get Nora’s Sweet Shop name out there. Especially if she sthe tuck to the plan about expanding, every public event was an opportunity to spread the word, ease into new markets.

  “You’ve come to the right place,” Nora said, as if reading Kate’s mind. “We’ve done lots of weddings.”

  “Yeah, I saw that cupcake thing you had in the window. My brother and his fiancé thought it’d be a great idea because they’re having their wedding and reception at the diner. It’s going to be more low-key than your traditional big cake and band kind of thing. They aren’t your typical couple, either, and loved the idea of an atypical cake.”

  Kate thought a second while she tapped her pen on the order pad. “We could do a whole morning glory theme. Put faux flowers on top of the cupcakes and arrange them like a bouquet.”

  Brody nodded. “I like that. Great idea. And I know Stace—that’s the bride—will love it, too. The diner is important to her.”

  The praise washed over Kate. She’d had dozens of customers rave about the shop’s unique sweets. Why did this one man’s—a stranger’s—words affect her so? “How many people are we serving?”

  “Uh, about fifty. I think that’s what my brother said.”

  “Sounds great.” She jotted some notes on the order pad, adding the details about the cupcakes, his name and the date of the event. Considering the number of orders already stacked up in her kitchen, adding his one into the mix would take some doing. Thank God she had her assistant Joanne to help. Joanne had the experience of ten bakers and had been with the shop for so many years, neither Kate or Nora could remember when she’d started.

  “And what about a phone number?” Nora piped in. Kate shot her grandmother a glare, but Nora just smiled. “In case we need to get a hold of you.”

  Brody rattled off a number. “That’s my office, which is where I usually am most days. Do you want my cell, too?”

  “No,” Kate said.

  “Yes,” Nora said. Louder.

  Brody gave them the second number, then paused a second, like he wanted to say something else. He glanced across the room, at what, Kate wasn’t sure. The cupcake display? The awards and accolades posted on the wall? “So, uh, thanks,” he said, his attention swiveling back to her.

  “You’re welcome. And thank you for the order.”

  “You said spread the word.” He shrugged and gave her a lopsided grin. “I did. I’m sorry it wasn’t more.”

  She chuckled. “I appreciate all business that comes my way.”

  Again, he seemed to hesitate, but in the end, he just nodded toward her, said he’d call her if he thought of anything else, then headed out the door. Kate watched him go, even more intrigued than before. Why did this doctor keep her mind whirring?

  “Why did you keep trying to fix us up?” Kate asked Nora when the door had shut behind Brody.

  “Because he is a very handsome man and you are a very interested woman.”

  “I’m not at all.”

  “Coulda fooled me with those googly eyes.”

  Kate grabbed the order pad off the counter and tucked the pen in her pocket. “My eyes are on one thing and one thing only. Keeping this shop running and sticking to the plan for expansion.” Her gaze went to the article on the wall, the only one that truly mattered. To the plans she’d had, plans that seemed stalled on the ground, no matter how hard she tried to move them forward. “Because I promised I would.”

  * * *

  Brody tried. He really did. He put in the hours, he smiled and joked, he filled out the charts, dispensed the prescriptions. But he still couldn’t fit back into the shoes he’d left when he’d gone to Afghanistan. After all his other medical mission trips, he’d come back refreshed, ready to tackle his job with renewed enthusiasm. But not this time. And he knew why.

  Because of Andrew Spencer.

  Every day, Brody pulled the card out of his wallet, and kicked himself for not doing what he’d promised to do. Somehow, he had to find a way to start helping Kate Spencer. He’d seen the grief in her eyes, heard it in her voice. Andrew had asked Brody to make sure his sister moved on, followed her heart, and didn’t let the loss of him weigh her down, and do it without telling her the truth. That he had been the one tending Andrew when he’d died.

  She doesn’t handle loss real well, Doc. She’ll blame herself for encouraging me to go over here, and that’ll just make her hurt more. Take care of her—

  But don’t tell her why you’re doing it. I don’t want her blaming herself or dwelling on the past. I want her eyes on the future. Encourage her to take a risk, to pursue her dreams. Don’t let her spend one more second grieving or regretting.

  When Brody had agreed, the promise had seemed easy. Check in on Kate Spencer, make sure she was okay, and maybe down the road, tell her about the incredible man her brother had been, and how Brody had known him. But now…

  He couldn’t seem to do any of the above.

  Maybe if he wrote it down first, it would make the telling easier. He could take his time, find the words he needed.

  The last patient of the day had left, as had Mrs. Maguire, and Brody sat in his office. His charts were done, which meant he could leave at any time. Head to his grandmother’s for the weekly family dinner, or home to his empty apartment. Instead, he pulled out a sheet of blank paper, grabbed a pen, then propped the card up on his desk.

  I never expected to bond with Andrew Spencer. To me, he was my guardian—and at times, a hindrance to the work I wanted to do, because he’d make me and the other doctors wait while he and his fellow troops cleared an area, double checked security, in short, protected our lives.

  All I heard was a ticking clock of sick and dying people, but he was smarter than me, and reminded me time and again that if the doctors died, then the people surely would, too. That was Andrew Spencer—putting the good of all far ahead of the good of himself. He risked his life for us many times. But the last time—

  Brody’s cell rang, dancing across the oak surface of his desk. He considered letting it go to voicemail, but in the end answering the phone was easier than writing the letter. “Hello?”

  “Dr. McKenna, this is Kate down at Nora’s Sweet Shop.” Even over the phone, Kate’s voice had the same sweet tone as in person. Brody liked the sound of her voice. Very much. Maybe too much. “I’m calling because there’s a problem with your cupcake order. I…I can’t fill it. My assistant had to go out of town today because her first grandchild came a little early, and that leaves me short-handed with a whole lot of orders, not to mention a huge one due tonight. Anyway, I took the liberty of calling another bakery in town and they said they’ll be happy to take care of that for you. No extra charge, and I assure you their work is as good as mine.”

  Kate Spencer was in a bind. He could hear the stress in her voice, the tension stringing her words together. He thought of that card in his pocket, and of the promise he’d made to Andrew to help Kate. Now, it turned out that Brody’s order had only added to her stress level.

  “Anyway, let me give you the name and number of the other bakery,” she said. “They’re expecting your
call, and have all my order notes.”

  Brody took down the number, jotting it on a Post-it beside the letter he’d been working on. His gaze skimmed the words he’d been writing again. That was Andrew Spencer—putting the good of all far ahead of the good of himself.

  It was as if Andrew was nudging Brody from beyond the grave. Do something, you fool. You said you would. “Is there any way I can help?” Brody asked.

  She laughed. “Unless you can come up with an experienced baker in thirty minutes who is free for the next few days, then no. But don’t worry, we’ll be fine. I do feel bad about the last minute notice on changing suppliers, but I assure you the other bakery will do a great job. Thanks again for the business, and please consider us in the future.”

  “In case I ever have another wedding to buy a cake for?”

  “Well, you are a doctor,” she said with a little laugh. “You know, most desirable kind of bachelor there is. God, I can’t believe I said that. Something about being on the phone loosens my tongue to say stupid things.” She exhaled. “I’m sorry.”

  “No, no, I’m flattered. Really. Most people who come to see me are complaining about something or other. It’s nice to get a compliment once in a while.”

  She laughed again, a light lyrical sound that lit his heart. For the first time in days, it felt like sunshine had filled the room. “Well, good. I’m glad to brighten your day. Anyway, thanks again.”

  “Anytime.” She was going to hang up, and his business with Kate Spencer would be through, unless he found a reason to buy a lot of chocolate filled baskets. He glanced again at the words on the page, but no brilliant way to keep her on the line came to mind.

  “Thank you for understanding, Dr. McKenna.” She said goodbye, then the connection ended. He stared at the phone and the number he’d written down for a long, long time. He read over his attempt at the letter, as half hearted as his attempts to keep his promise, then crumpled it into a ball and tossed it in the trash. Then he got his coat and headed out the door, walking fast.

  Thirty minutes wasn’t a lot of time to change a future, but Brody was sure going to try.

  CHAPTER FOUR

  WIND battered the small building and rain pattered against the windows of Nora’s Sweet Shop. A fall storm, asserting its strength and warning of winter’s imminent arrival. Kate sat at her desk, flipping through the thick stack of yellow order sheets.

  She had two corporate orders. Three banquets. And now, the McKenna wedding—well, no, that one was safely in another bakery’s hands. A lot of work for one bakery, never mind one person. On any other day, she’d be grateful for the influx of work. But today, it all just felt…overwhelming. She glanced over at the folder on her desk, filled with notes about expansions and new locations, then glanced away. That would have to be put on hold. For a long time.

  Always before, baking had been her solace, the place where she could lose herself and find a sweet contentment that came from making something that would make people smile. But ever since Andrew’s death, that passion for her job had wavered, disappearing from time to time like sunshine on a cloudy day.

  Now, without her assistant on board, she knew getting the job done would take a Herculean effort. Best to just roll up her sleeves and get it done.

  She glanced at the dark, angry sky. “I can’t do this without you,” she whispered to the storm above. Thunder rumbled disagreement. “We were supposed to expand this business together, take Nora’s Sweet Shop to the masses. Remember? That’s what you always said, Andrew. Now you’re gone and I’m alone and trying like hell to stick to the plan. But…” she released a long, heavy sigh, “it’s hard. So hard. I’m not the risk taker. I’m not the adventurer. You were. And now, the shop is in trouble and I…I need…help.”

  The bell over the door jingled. Kate jerked to her feet. For a second, she thought she’d round the corner and see Andrew, with his teasing grin and quick wit. Instead, she found the last answer she’d expect.

  Brody McKenna.

  He stomped off the rain on his shoes, swiped the worst of the wet from his hair, and offered her a sheepish smile, looking lost and sexy all at the same time. A part of her wanted to give him a good meal, a warm blanket, and a hug. She stopped that thought before it embedded itself in her mind. Dr. McKenna embodied dark, brooding, mysterious. A risk for a woman’s heart if she’d ever seen one.

  “Dr. McKenna, nice to see you again.” She came out from behind the counter, cursing herself for smoothing at her hair and shirt as she did. “Did you have a problem with the other bakery?”

  “No, no. I haven’t even called them yet.” He shifted his weight from foot to foot. The rain had darkened his lashes, and made his blue eyes seem even bluer. More like a tempestuous sea, rolling with secrets in its depths. “I, ah, stopped by to see if you had eaten.”

  She blinked. “If I had eaten?”

  “I live near here and every night when I walk home, I see the light on.” He took two steps closer. “Every morning when I leave for work, I see the light on in here.” He took another two steps, then a few more, until he stood inches away from her, that deep blue ocean drawing her in, captivating her. “And it makes me wonder whether you ever go home or ever have time to have a decent meal.”

  “I…” She couldn’t find a word to say. No one outside her immediate family had ever said anything like that to her. Worried that she’d eaten, worried that she worked too hard. Why did this man care? Was it just the doctor in him? Or something more? “I won’t starve, believe me. I have a frozen meal in the back. I’ll wolf it down between baking.”

  “That’s not healthy.”

  She shrugged. “It’s part of being a business owner. Take the bad with the good. And right now, the good is…well, a little harder to find.” She didn’t add that she planned on keeping herself busy in the kitchen because it kept her from thinking. From dwelling. From talking to people who were no longer here.

  Brody leaned against the counter, his height giving him at least a foot’s advantage over her. For a second, she wondered what it would be like to lean into that height, to put her head against his broad chest, to tell him her troubles and share her burdens.

  Then she got a grip and shook her head. He was asking her about her eating habits, chiding her about working too much. Not offering to be her confidante. Or anything more.

  “Listen, I eat alone way too often,” he said. “Like you, I work a lot more hours than I probably should and end up trading healthy food for fast food.”

  She laughed. “Doctor, heal thyself?”

  “Yeah, something like that. So why don’t we eat together, and then you can get back to baking or whatever it is you’re doing here. It’s a blustery night, the kind when you need a warm meal and some good company. Not something packaged and processed.”

  Damn, that sounded good. Tempting. Comforting.

  Perfect.

  Despite her reservations, a smile stole across Kate’s face. “And are you the good company?”

  “That you’ll have to decide for yourself.” He grinned. “My head nurse thinks I’m a pain in the neck, but my grandmother sings my praises.”

  She laughed. “Isn’t that what grandmothers are supposed to do?”

  “I do believe that’s Chapter One in the Good Grandma Handbook.”

  Kate laughed again. Her stomach let out a rumble at the thought of a real meal. Twice a week she went to Nora’s for dinner, but the rest of her meals w
ere consumed on the run. Quick bites between filling baking pans and spreading icing. Brody had a point about her diet being far from healthy. “Well, I am hungry.”

  “Me, too. And I don’t know about you, but I…I don’t want to eat alone tonight.”

  She thought of the gray sky, the stormy rumbles from the clouds and the conversations she’d had with her dead brother. “Me, either,” Kate said softly.

  Brody thumbed to the east. “There’s a great little place down the street. The Cast Iron Skillet. Have you been there?”

  The rumble in her stomach became a full-out roar. “I ate there a couple times after they first opened. They have an amazing cast iron chicken. Drizzled with garlic butter and served with mashed sweet potatoes. Okay, now I’m salivating.”

  “Then drool with me and let’s get a table.”

  Drool with him? She was already drooling over him. Temptation coiled inside her. Damn those blue eyes of his.

  She hesitated for a fraction of a second, then decided the work had waited this long, it could wait a little longer. She wasn’t being much use in the kitchen right now anyway, and couldn’t seem to get on track. Not to mention, she couldn’t remember the last time she’d had a meal that hadn’t come from the microwave. She grabbed her jacket and purse from under the counter, then her umbrella from the stand by the door. “Here,” she said, handing it to him, “let’s be smart before we go out in the rain.”

  But as Kate left the shop and turned the lock in the door, she had to wonder if letting the handsome doctor talk her into a dinner that sounded a lot like a date was smart. At all.

  * * *

  The food met its promise, but Brody didn’t notice. He’d been captivated by Kate Spencer from the day he met her, and the more time he spent with her, the more intrigued he became. What had started as a way to get to know the person whom Andrew had raved about, the one who had written that card to her brother and sent Andrew so many care packages he’d joked he could have opened a store, had become something more. Something bigger.